Vatican Uses Donations for the Poor to Plug Its Budget Deficit

Only 10% of donations to the Peter’s Pence collection go to charitable works

Pope Francis speaks ahead of the start of the General Audience at the Vatican on Wednesday. 

PHOTO: CLAUDIO PERI/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

VATICAN CITY—Every year, Catholics around the world donate tens of millions of dollars to the pope. Bishops exhort the faithful to support the weak and suffering through the pope’s main charitable appeal, called Peter’s Pence.

What the church doesn’t advertise is that most of that collection, worth more than €50 million ($55 million) annually, goes toward plugging the hole in the Vatican’s own administrative budget, while as little as 10% is spent on charitable works, according to people familiar with the funds....

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